From: richarra@gmail.com

— Proverbs 23:17-18 —

Let not thy heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord
all the day long:
Because thou shalt have hope in the latter end, and thy expectation
shall not be taken away.
========================
How easy it is to envy those who get ahead unharmed by Christian
responsibility or God's laws. For a time they do seem to get ahead
without paying any attention to what God wants. But to those who
follow him, God promises a hope and a wonderful future even if we
don't realize it in this life.

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24 April – St Fidelis of Sigmaringen O.F.M.Cap.

 (1577-1622)
Religious Priest and MARTYR, lawyer/advocate, philosopher, teacher,
apostle of Eucharistic Adoration and charity
Attributes – sword; palm of martyrdom; heretics; the Morning Star;
trampling on the word “heresy”; with a club set with spikes; with a whirlbat; with an angel carrying a palm of martyrdom; with Saint
Joseph of Leonessa. Major Shrine at the Capuchin friary of Weltkirchen (Feldkirch), Austria

St Fidelis was born Mark Roy or Rey in 1577 in Sigmaringen, a town in modern-day Germany, then under the Principality of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. His father’s name was John Rey. He studied
law and philosophy at the University of Freiburg. Roy subsequently
taught philosophy at this university, ultimately earning the degree of
Doctor of Law. During his time as a student he did not drink wine and
wore a hair-shirt. He was known for his modesty, meekness and
chastity.

In 1604, Roy accompanied, as preceptor (teacher-mentor), three young
Swabian gentlemen on their travels through the principal parts of
Europe. During six years of travel, he attended Mass very frequently.
In every town they came to, he visited the hospitals and churches,
passed several hours on his knees in the presence of the Blessed
Sacrament and was generous to the poor, sometimes giving them the very
clothes off his back.

Upon his return, he practiced law as a counselor or advocate, at
Colmar, in Alsace where he came to be known as the ‘poor man’s
lawyer’. He scrupulously forbore all invectives, detractions and
whatever might affect the reputation of any adversary. Disenchanted
with the evils associated with his profession, he was determined to
enter the religious life as a member of the Capuchin friars.

As soon as Fidelis finished his course of theology, he was immediately
employed in preaching and in hearing confessions. After becoming
guardian of the Capuchin friary in Weltkirchen, Feldkirch (in
present-day Austria), many residents of the town and neighbouring
places were reformed by his zealous labours and several Calvinists
were converted. The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith
commissioned Fidelis to preach in the Graubünden region of eastern Switzerland. Eight other Capuchin friars were to be his assistants and
they laboured in this mission under his direction.

The Calvinists of that territory, being incensed at his success in
converting their brethren, loudly threatened Fidelis’ life and he
prepared himself for martyrdom. Fidelis and his companions entered
into Prättigau, a small district of Graubünden, in 1622, on the Feast
of the Epiphany, January 6. The effects of his ardent zeal, where the
Bishop of Coire sent a lengthy and full account to the Congregation
for the Propagation of the Faith, enraged the Calvinists in that
province.

On April 24, 1622, Fidelis made his confession, celebrated Mass and
then preached at Grüsch. At the end of his sermon, which he had
delivered with more than ordinary zeal, he stood silent all of a
sudden, with his eyes fixed upon Heaven, in ecstasy. He foretold his
death to several persons in the clearest terms and began signing his
letters, “P. Fidelis, prope diem esca vermium” (“Father Fidelis, in
days ahead to become food for worms”). After the service at Grüsch he
and several companions traveled to Seewis. His companions noted that
he was particularly cheerful.

On April 24, in a campaign organised by the Habsburgs, Fidelis was
preaching under protection of some Austrian imperial soldiers in the
Church at Seewis with the aim to reconvert the people of Seewis to
Catholicism. During the sermon, his listeners were called “to arms” by
the Calvinist agitators outside. Some of the people went to face the
Austrian troops outside the church. Fidelis had been persuaded by the
remaining Catholics to immediately flee with the Austrian troops out
of Seewis, which he did but then returned alone to Grüsch. On his way
back he was confronted by 20 Calvinist soldiers who demanded
unsuccessfully that he renounce the Catholic faith and when he
refused, they subsequently murdered him.

A local account:
From Grüsch he went to preach at Seewis, where, with great energy, he
exhorted the Catholics to constancy in the faith. After a Calvinist
had discharged his musket at him in the Church, the Catholics
entreated him to leave the place. He answered that death was his gain
and his joy, and that he was ready to lay down his life in God’s
cause. On his road back to Grüsch, he met twenty Calvinist soldiers
with a minister at their head. They called him a false prophet and
urged him to embrace their sect. He answered: “I am sent to you to
confute, not to embrace your heresy. The Catholic religion is the
faith of all ages, I fear not death.”  One of them beat him down to
the ground by a stroke on the head with his backsword. Fidelis rose
again on his knees and stretching forth his arms in the form of a
cross, said with a feeble voice “Pardon my enemies, O Lord: blinded by passion they know not what they do. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me.
Mary, Mother of God, succour me!.” Another sword stroke clove his
skull and he fell to the ground and lay in a pool of his own blood.
The soldiers, not content with this, added many stab wounds to his
body with their long knives and hacked-off his left leg, as they said,
to punish him for his many journeys into those parts to preach to
them.

It is said that a Catholic woman lay concealed near the place of
Fidelis’ martyrdom as the saint was slain. After the soldiers had
left, she came out to assess the incident and found the martyr’s eyes
open, fixed on the heavens. He was buried by Catholics the next day.

The rebels were soon after defeated by the imperial troops, an event
which the martyr had foretold them. The Protestant minister who had participated in Fidelis’ martyrdom, was converted by this
circumstance, made a public abjuration of Calvinism and was received
into the Catholic Church.

After six months, the martyr’s body was found to be incorrupt but his
head and left arm were separated from his body. The body parts were
then placed into two reliquaries, one sent to the Cathedral of Coire,
at the behest of the bishop and laid under the High Altar; the other
was placed in the Capuchin church at Weltkirchen, Feldkirch, Austria.

St Fidelis was beatified on 24 March 1729 by Pope Benedict XIII and
canonised on 29 June 1746, Rome by Pope Benedict XIV

https://anastpaul.com/2017/04/24/


Thought for the Day – 24 April

Many saints, like St Fidelis of Sigmaringen, realise that they are
wasting their time in the midst of greed and foolish ambition and
decide on another course. Their gifts were turned to doing good and to
this they devote the whole of their lives. Sometimes, it is often
easily apparent, that a change is demanded in our lives – feeling
miserable, unsatisfied, uneasy, worried by the greed of the world,
it’s lukewarmness or apathy and more! Courage now is needed and that
courage comes from the grace of God in prayer. ‘You become what you
love’ – what is it that you love?
St Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Pray for us!


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On Certain Temptations Against Humility

It is not easy to be humble when we are praised and flattered. Our
self-love sucks in with eagerness the words of compliment. We think
they must be partly true, or at least we are tempted to exult in the
high opinion that others profess of us. Such occasions are very
perilous to humility. We should do well to think of Herod when the
people listened to his oration, and shouted out: "It is the voice of a
god and not of a man." We read that because he took the glory to
himself instead of giving it to God, he was smitten down by the Angel
of the Lord and died miserably. (Acts xii.)

Yet we cannot help being pleased when others speak kindly of us, and
we ought to be pleased when our superiors commend us. But we must
observe certain precautions. (1) We must take care to rejoice rather
in the kindness of others than in their praise. (2) We must strive and
forget ourselves, and raise our heart to God, and offer Him our
success. (3) We must make an act of humility at the thought that if
those who praise us saw us as God sees us, they would despise, not
honor us.

If we find that we are puffed up by praise, this is a fresh proof of
our imperfection. The Saints disliked and dreaded praise, and when
they were blamed unjustly, thanked God and took it as a mark of His
love and favor. Father Lancicius used to consider unjust reproaches as
pure gain, because they had no drawback of self-reproach or regret.
Which do I accept most gladly, undue praise or undeserved blame?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: www.darkrealms.ca (1:229/2)